Take your own advice and hit the bars to relearn some social skills. Step outside your quiet, surly, critical, insular INTJ bubble a little more often and you'll realize that humans are not mere yes-no, right or wrong information-relay machines.

Indeed; while the socializing of my peers is often too vapid and non-intellectual to interest me, I have occasionally been in situations where I felt that people were being far too nerdy and literal. Sometimes all that someone is trying to communicate, and all that they want from you in return, is to say "I like you. It's pleasing to me that we share aesthetic values. I feel safe here". It can be really frustrating that the majority of people have to communicate this through code, and that they want to socialize on this level 99.99% of the time, but I think this aspect of human interaction is vital for everyone, in some degree or another. It's all just about balance. I'm coming to realize that I can enjoy hanging out with relatively stupid, unambitious potheads if I do so in small doses, and at the end of the day, when my appetite for physical and mental challenge is exhausted.

This is the problem: few trust government (except delusional liberals) because government is ultimately, people. So they demand more oversight instead of demanding what any sane person would, which is better people in government.

Do we seriously think we can have elected actors overseeing millions of quasi-literate, overweight single mothers who administrate government? Not if we want real function.

I agree. But how do we get better people in government? IQ / moral / commonsense competence testing will require quite a bit of oversight. I think this problem (as well as many of our environmental and social woes) would be easier to manage if we returned a majority of the political / economic focus to the state / township level - if everyone knows everyone fairly intimately, it's easier to agree on who is insane / incompetent / scum. But as you have said, government is ultimately people, and I can conceive of no truly desirable balance between a centralized, unchecked strongman or oligarchy, and the diffused avarice / dysfunction of our "democracy" - maybe a genuine aristocracy will decay more slowly? I suppose that any system will have it's weaknesses that eventually lead to dysfunction and downfall, so I'm not challenging you to provide a 3 step plan for eternal utopia - I just think that ANUS.com and it's affiliates have LONG since reached a consensus on what we'd like society to look like (in the abstract), as well as several of the precursors to achieving this, like culling the herd - and it is now high time that we begin formulating more concrete details, and set a plan in action, no matter how long term it may be.

Public executions (viewable on TV and YouTube) of the most heinous offenders should curb the problem very quickly. Especially if the first batch is a disturbingly large (and gruesomely executed) one, I think a significant amount of the less serious offenders would back off - although in the long run we don't want these people alive either...

But, a much more easily attainable solution within our current political climate / system is this: we start sending white-collar criminals to hard-time fuck-me-in-the-ass prisons, and seize money / assets equal to the value of the damage caused, using the proceeds from this to repair the damage - and maybe even an extra 15% of the calculated damages for prophylactic measures (build a park for the afflicted community, etc). America's prison system is most certainly corrupt (run for private profits), ineffectual (recidivism / criminal ed. 101), and a sadistic, torturous form of punishment, but I suspect that the deterrence effect would work spectacularly well on those who aren't completely destitute. The number of new inmates as a result of this would be a drop in the bucket, and is compatible with a long-term goal of reducing the prison population.

Bleeding heart liberals would support this move to bring justice to the evil corporations and save the earth, impoverished Blacks and Hispanics would support Whitey being subjected to the same penalties / threats that they are, and the right-wing seems to love most punitive / moralistic legal propositions. I think we should try and work within the system on a few key issues, like this one, which are realistically attainable, both by infiltrating the aforementioned groups and by creating new platforms which do NOT scare people away by advocating hard-line issues like eugenics. It's far from an ideal solution, but I believe that this would be much more than a "band-aid". In any event, I'm rather depressed / disgusted by the sentiment of some users here that "the earth is fucked, so we can only make art to prepare for the coming apocalypse and it's aftermath". While I suspect that this is to some extent true, I see two key problems to such a fatalistic attitude:

1) Understanding history allows us to make better *guesses* about the future - that's all - of a world in constant change. Basic principles may be postulated, such as the necessity of any organism to decline and die, but we can't be certain what the death throes of our culture will look like. I fear that most of us will live to see species and ecosystem extinction beyond even our worst dreams, horrific anarchy and bloodshed in the streets, and insane dictatorial purges of the competent and incompetent alike. But it's also conceivable that through hard work some of this can be genuinely avoided, and not merely delayed.

2) The raw animal instinct in me screams to FIGHT TO THE FUCKING DEATH when backed into a corner. I think I could die in relative peace of mind even in a wasteland of iniquity, if I knew that my fight had been good, and my fight had been hard.

"It's not my fault that I'm oppressed by these stupid plebeians! We need to wait for a genocidal dictatorship to save the world, because those people will certainly want us as their trusted adivsors..."

Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again.

‘I wish it need not have have happened in my time,’ said Frodo.

‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.’

If the "exceptional" people were so exceptional, they would be the ones in power and shaping culture. Being "exceptional" does not mean "intelligent and moral," it means "having a vision and the power to achieve it."

Risk-Potential correlation in Human Personality:

Most of us have genes that make us as hardy as dandelions: able to take root and survive almost anywhere. A few of us, however, are more like the orchid: fragile and fickle, but capable of blooming spectacularly if given greenhouse care. So holds a provocative new theory of genetics, which asserts that the very genes that give us the most trouble as a species, causing behaviors that are self-destructive and antisocial, also underlie humankind’s phenomenal adaptability and evolutionary success. With a bad environment and poor parenting, orchid children can end up depressed, drug-addicted, or in jail—but with the right environment and good parenting, they can grow up to be society’s most creative, successful, and happy people.

We don't have many heroes left in media, and my generation (about 20 yrs. old) seem to be overwhelmingly fatalistic about life and very averse to challenging themselves to grow. Many don't seem depressed at all, but I can't imagine how they're really happy with life - withering away the days getting fucked up and having insipid conversations, watching TV or playing video games. Not everyone is sexually promiscuous but hardly anyone seems serious or trustworthy (much less intelligent). I think that much of our society's attitude on sex is broken. Fornication sucks. Don't loose your virginity like that.

I don't know about this. Stupid, ugly, and weak people would probably taste pretty awful.. considering the crap they eat. Let's corn feed them before the slaughter first, okay?

The moron / looser people are already mostly corn-fed - Industrial food in America is heavily reliant on the processed end-products of corn and soybeans. Making morons into compost sounds like the best option here, followed by increasing the amounts of mercury contamination of High-Fructose Corn Syrup.

Baltimore is a piece of shit, but that hasn't ever caused me any problems. A lot of bums (as well as people who are obviously not homeless!) will ask you for money: just say "no," or "I don't have any money,or "sorry, I can't help you" unemotionally and keep walking. There are tons of people (many of them metalheads) on the main streets late at night, and most of the areas surrounding the venue, as well as those you will pass through coming from (most) hotels aren't *that* "ghetto"... these are commercial districts, not housing projects. There's a huge difference.

...and MDF itself:

The interior of the fest is crowded, 90% inebriated, and it smells like shit. There's trash everywhere - lots of free items to be found on the ground, as well as inummerable spilled beers to cause injury when you get shoved into the slimy concrete mosh pit indoors. I didn't mosh very consistently, since I mostly just like to watch the musicians, but for those moments when I couldn't resist it (like "Charred Remains"), I have to say the majority of people there conducted themselves reasonably. Depending on the band in question, there were usually only a few (if any) macho douchebags that were unecessarily violent or persistent in knocking over little kids who were obviously trying to get out of the pit. The crowd surfers were a different matter - I got kicked in the head more than a few times. Security between the stage and the crowd will try and pull out crowd surfers, but they allow them to walk away and crowd surf again as many times as they want. One kid even did this during Portal. I guess all of this stuff is pretty normal for a big concert - Hopefully, you're comfortable with the feeling of a soft penis against your buttocks, because, even 30 or 40 feet away from the stage, the crowd for Obituary was so packed that I had trouble moving either of my feet at some points.

MDF is advertised as "America's Biggest Metal Party of the Year," and that's a pretty apt description. Many attendees are probably too wasted to remember any of the bands, but that hasn't diminished my enjoyment of the music at all. I noticed more of a police / venue security presence in the parking lot this year (especially at the end of the night), but for the most part, nobody gives a fuck what you do. Security will search any bags you try and bring in, and confiscate water / food / alcohol (profiteering schmucks!), but many people bring in a flask of liqour in their pants, roll beers under the fence, have tailgate parties in the parking lot, or just smoke weed in the more discrete areas of the fest (under the trees, in the middle of a crowd near a stage, in their cars, etc). Drinking in the parking lot is not mutually exclusive with enjoying the music; if you have a decent sized van, you can probably see over the fence. And the sound is actually seems to be worse the closer you are to the (outdoor) stages.

Alcohol at the fest is quite overpriced, but not that much more than your typical bar. If I remember correctly, Heinekn and Amstel light were $5 for a good sized cup, 16oz. PBR's were $2, and shots were $6. Food prices were a little worse, I would say - not totally ridiculous, but perhaps 25 or 30% inflated. I didn't try the food this year, but it didn't look particularly filling or tasty. I recommend bringing some food of your own, or stocking up on sandwiches, fruits, trailmix, etc, at a grocery store or deli early on in the weekend. It's actually pretty hard to find a decent place to eat right around the fest... there are good restaurants in Downtown, Little Italy, Fell's Point, etc, but if you're just stepping outside the venue for a snack, try the generic-looking, family run convenience store right on the corner. They had decent sandwiches for $3, and (these sold out quickly, to my displeasure) delicious homemade vegetable samosas for $1.50 a pop.

Surprisingly, "merch" inside the fest is actually priced pretty well. Some of the vendors are selling big-name band shirts at $20, but I got a "Darkness Descends" shirt for $15, and two Insect Warfare shirts for $12 each. Look around before you buy, many vendors are selling other label's shirts at marked up prices...

The typical Western (especially American) diet has an unnecessary reliance on meat and dairy. Knowing what I know about the conventional production methods of these products, I can't bring myself to buy them. I rarely say this in person, because I require social interaction, but I think people who say that "I just eat ___ because it really tastes good, so I don't think about how it's made and avoid confrontations with this reality" are spineless shit. I tried veganism after 2/3 year of vegetarianism, and the conclusion I've reached is to buy conservative amounts of meat and dairy (eggs in particular) from local, artisanal, holistic farms... large amounts of dairy and meat make one feel sluggish. A poorly planned vegan diet can make one weak; a good one feels about as healthy as you can get. And If money is a big issue, it's not even that hard to eat well (taste and nutrition-wise) on a diet of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and (preferably whole wheat) starch. It's crazy that people with huge disposable incomes eat trashy factory food. I think the current generations of this declining period in our society will be remember in history as, among other things, the selfish fatasses who committed ecocide and turned the world into a mall because they considered fastfood hamburgers an inalienable human right.

I've never heard of putting glass in weed before. If the buds are dry and shitty looking, leaving them in a sealed bag with an orange slice for several hours will increase weight and perceived quality, via smell. If this is done in excess, the smoke will be harsh and evidence of tampering apparent to anyone who isn't a moron. But it's not going to kill anyone. I don't understand why a drug dealer would choose to sell a rip-off product that guarantees a minimal customer return rate (necessitating more sales to strangers) instead of making a more modest profit per transaction by establishing long-term customers who are less likely to rat out the dealer if caught but will bring in large sums of money over time. I guess a decent portion of drug dealers are legitimately stupid; I've certainly known some who weren't, though.

My "group" get relatively good quality weed, really. I don't smoke myself, but some of them are rarely not high, and they have no problems.

My Uncle gets his cannabis from the Netherlands.

Yeah, I have noticed that higher quality weed does not cause fatigue, apathy, burnout, etc, as much as the dirt that's common where I live. And of course it is easier on your lungs if you can reach the desired intoxication with a couple of hits instead of say a dozen. But, it's important to keep in mind that a person may easily be operating at 70% of their potential all throughout life, and never have any observable problems. I've struggled with apathy, depression, and weed addiction (oh, it's quite real, folks) at various times in my life, and I can make two guarantees based on that: 1) You can't possibly know what you're missing until you've been clean for at least several weeks, ideally several months. 2) It's possible to be energetic, motivated, and happy even if you get high every single day, eat an OK diet, and exercise a little bit, but you will *never* experience the same level of satisfaction and clarity like this as you would with a disciplined lifestyle. I'm sure that sounds quite obvious, but there's a big difference between knowing and acting. I have to constantly remind myself of things like this - while my diet is pretty good, periods of prolonged sobriety and daily exercise always seem to trail off into the old habits... but ALL of life is a struggle to improve yourself and your surroundings (often these are the same thing). The worst habit I ever kicked was that of beating myself up psychologically every time my plans for improving my health stuttered. It's the long term trend that counts.